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Kristi Yamaguchi | Keara Kiyomi and Emma Yoshiko Are Pictured Embracing Each Other | Source: Getty Images | Instagram/kristiyamaguchi
Kristi Yamaguchi | Keara Kiyomi and Emma Yoshiko Are Pictured Embracing Each Other | Source: Getty Images | Instagram/kristiyamaguchi

Keara Kiyomi and Emma Yoshiko Hedican Are Kristi Yamaguchi's Talented Daughters – All We Know About Them

Akhona Zungu
Jan 09, 2023
09:15 P.M.

Keara Kiyomi and Emma Yoshiki Hedican were born to the first Asian American woman who returned with a gold medal from the Winter Olympics in 1992. The sisters have begun forging their careers, with one of them following in Kristi's athletic footsteps.

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California native Kristi Yamaguchi took her first breath in July 1971 and was born with club feet. She started figure skating at age six as corrective physical therapy and grew to fall in love with the sport.

She started with pair skating alongside her former partner, Rudy Galindo, who later became her youngest daughter's coach in junior high school. Kristi and Rudy collected many championships before the former transitioned exclusively to single skating.

 Kristi Yamaguchi poses at the Team USA Awards at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts on April 26, 2018, in Washington, DC | Source: Getty Images

Kristi Yamaguchi poses at the Team USA Awards at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts on April 26, 2018, in Washington, DC | Source: Getty Images

Kristi won her first Olympic gold medal at the 1992 Alberton Olympics in France, with the first runner-up being her roommate, Nancy Kerrigan. Two years later, unfortunately, Nancy suffered an attack orchestrated by iconic ice skater Tonya Harding's ex, Jeff Gillooly.

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In addition to a noteworthy figure skating career that followed, Kristi also became a businesswoman, a philanthropist – she founded the Always Dream Foundation in 1996 – and an author of 1997's "Figure Skating for Dummies" and three children's books.

Kristi met the love of her life at the games, where she collected her first Olympic gold medal, but the pair's romance only began a few years later. They welcomed their daughters in the early 2000s; one is poised to be an athlete, while the other has joined the world of acting.

 Bret Hedican and Kristi Yamaguchi pose at the 2022 ESPYs at Dolby Theatre on July 20, 2022, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images

Bret Hedican and Kristi Yamaguchi pose at the 2022 ESPYs at Dolby Theatre on July 20, 2022, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images

Kristi Yamaguchi Created a Family with Another Olympic Champion

Kristi met her husband, former professional hockey player Bret Hedican, in 1992 when he represented the United States at the Winter Olympics. She and Nancy were waiting for the opening ceremony to begin when they decided to kill some time and meet the other athletes.

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It was a brief encounter. However, Kristi and Bret were reintroduced a few years later and remained in touch. The couple tied the knot in an outdoor ceremony at Mauni Lani, Hawaii, in July 2000.

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They later expanded their family with Keara Kiyomi and Emma Yoshiko, who both took their dad's last name. Keara Kiyomi and Emma Yoshiko regularly appear on their mom's Instagram page. Most recently, Kristi shared a lovely family photo, wishing her followers a Merry Christmas.

Kristi made it a priority to be ever-present in her daughters' lives. She wanted to provide them with all the support and patience she received from her parents when she pursued figure skating, as the mom of two explained:

"My husband and I both wanted to let our daughters find their own path at their own time and encourage them to try a lot of things to see what sparked their interest."

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Keara Kiyomi Is Kristi Yamaguchi's Oldest Daughter Taking Her First Steps as an Actress

Keara Kiyomi drew her first breath on October 2, 2003. She showed interest in dance at four years old after she and her younger sister would watch Kristi's routines with her former "Dancing With the Stars" partner, Mark Ballas, on YouTube.

Keara Kiyomi graduated high school in June this year and recently began her studies at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. In addition to her interest in dance, she's already a theater actress, as her Instagram posts suggest.

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She appeared in a stage production titled "The Whole Darn Shooting Match!" in April, as Kristi revealed earlier this year. On Keara Kiyomi's 18th birthday, Kristi gushed about the young woman she'd become, saying she was proud of the teen.

The young UCLA student is also romantically involved with another actor named Michael Jamison. He has a separate page for his acting endeavors and based on his bio, he's currently enrolled at California State University.

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Emma Yoshiko Has Inherited Her Mother's Talent for Figure Skating

Emma Yoshiko was born in November 2005. Although her sister is more outgoing, she prefers to live her life privately, with her social media pages set to private. Emma Yoshiko found her passion in figure skating like her mom, but Kristi stepped back from being her coach.

While she enjoyed watching her daughter skate, Kristi joked that she was a "bad skating mom" because her guidance often left Emma Yoshiko feeling overwhelmed. So, her former partner, Rudy Galindo, stepped in to hold that position. The mom-daughter pair have even graced the ice rink together on a few occasions.

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